Interpretive Summary: Cutworm moths in the family Noctuidae are major agricultural pests causing billions of dollars of damage annually. The cutworms in the genus Spodoptera are one of the most economically important groups of noctuid moths in the world. Fifteen of the thirty species of Spodoptera are major pests of grass crops (rice, corn, sorghum) and truck crops (beans, cabbage, ,tomatoes). These databases were developed to provide information on individual specimens examined and their distributions, including latitude and longitude. The data presented in this format are far more useful to researchers than in printed form because the information is searchable, can be printed, and can be updated. The information included in these databases will be important to scientists, economic entomologists, biological control scientists, and producers to track distributional data for this important group. Also, APHIS, PPQ inspectors and identifiers will use this information.

Technical Abstract:
The Spodoptera specimen database includes the locality data and voucher number (for barcoded specimens) for the specimens that were examined during a revision of Spodoptera (Pogue 2001). The Gazeteer provides latitude and longitude in both degree, minutes, and seconds in addition to decimal conversions. The databases are in FileMaker Pro 5.0 format. The specimen database consists of 11,569 records and the gazeteer has 3987 records. Mos specimens were barcoded, but for large collections, such as the American Museum of Natural History, The Natural History Museum (London, England), and the Canadian National Collection only unique localities were recorded. The databases are completely searchable and the specimen database is able to produce a species list corresponding to search criteria of users. The databases will be put on the Systematic Entomology Laboratory web site.